"Chess is very simple. He goes there, I go here. I go there, he goes here."

Friday, September 24, 2010

A Thought for Spassky

As I prepare to head back home to Tokyo, there's just a little bit of time left to check out Olympiad results. But, nope, no luck here. "Unable to connect" is all I'm getting. Did I mention that Khanty-Mansiysk is in the third world? I just hope the Turks can do better next time, or at least deliver better weather. Thanks to ICC, though, I'm still getting something. As I write I'm watching no less than superstar GM Carlsen go down to Georgian grandmaster Baadur Jobava. Which is a problem for the Norwegians: they've got the world's numero uno, but the rest of their lineup is pretty anaemic.

While we're all getting excited about the Olympiad, with or without online coverage, we should perhaps spare a thought for Boris Spassky. Chessbase reports that the Russian legend is "in grave condition".